Dino vs Construct
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Dino
Modern XMPP chat client for the desktop
VS
Construct
High-performance Matrix homeserver written in C++
| Feature | Dino | Construct |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Vala | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,472 | ★ 395 |
| First released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Skype, Slack | Slack, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose Dino if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Vala
Choose Construct if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Dino or Construct better?
Dino is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Construct if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Dino and Construct free and open-source?
Yes. Dino is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Construct under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dino and Construct with Docker?
Dino: check the project docs for container support. Construct: check the project docs for container support.